The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, Vol. 2: Ticket to the Moon (CD - 2007)

After racking up a string of hits in the '70s and early '80s, E.L.O.'s cosmic take on the wall of sound has aged remarkably well and influenced countless rock and rollers from Tom Petty and the Smashing Pumpkins to Andrew W.K. and the Killers. THE VERY BEST OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA VOL 2 - TICKET TO THE MOON is the sister set to 2005's ALL OVER THE WORLD: THE VERY BEST OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA and taken together the discs are all the E.L.O. the casual fan will ever need. The collection boasts stand-out hits such as "Do Ya" and "Can't Get It Out of My Head," and many strong deep cuts, such as "Surrender" and the band's catchy rewrite of Iggy Pop's "The Passenger." If you've had enough of the hits from classic rock radio and are looking for a great introduction to less well-known E.L.O. material, TICKET TO THE MOON is a great diving off point.

After racking up a string of hits in the '70s and early '80s, E.L.O.'s cosmic take on the wall of sound has aged remarkably well and influenced countless rock and rollers from Tom Petty and the Smashing Pumpkins to Andrew W.K. and the Killers. THE VERY BEST OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA VOL 2 - TICKET TO THE MOON is the sister set to 2005's ALL OVER THE WORLD: THE VERY BEST OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA and taken together the discs are all the E.L.O. the casual fan will ever need. The collection boasts stand-out hits such as "Do Ya" and "Can't Get It Out of My Head," and many strong deep cuts, such as "Surrender" and the band's catchy rewrite of Iggy Pop's "The Passenger." If you've had enough of the hits from classic rock radio and are looking for a great introduction to less well-known E.L.O. material, TICKET TO THE MOON is a great diving off point.

As a companion piece to 2005's All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, the Very Best of ELO, Vol. 2: Ticket to the Moon pretty much completes the frame-worthy picture of Jeff Lynne's sci-fi/pop mothership. There's still a lot unaccounted for, specifically from the first three records, but between the two collections you would be hard pressed to find a better complete anthology without resorting to a box set like 1990s Afterglow. The obvious hits like "Do Ya," "Calling America," "Twilight," and "Can't Get It out of My Head" are great, but it's the deeper cuts such as "Starlight," "Eldorado," "Secret Messages," and the impossibly dark and catchy "Surrender" that make this second volume of ELO confections so tasty. ~ James Christopher Monger minimize